


Pocket Deep

by boybeneathblankets



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Conflict of Interests, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, How Do I Tag, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, No Smut, Other, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28845405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boybeneathblankets/pseuds/boybeneathblankets
Summary: an old friend of natasha romanov reaches out to her, they have a favour to ask. she doesn't know the consequences of what their asking for, but she doesn't know if they do either.a story about a conflict of interests between natasha romanov, an ex-spy and new avenger, her old friend with a hidden talent, and tony stark, a billionaire who's pushing into dangerous territory. mindgames, blackmail, infilitration, love, friendship, and a small amount of drunk calling your friend of a friend causes chaos between the three, and a melody of others swept up in the action.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Original Character(s), Tony Stark/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	Pocket Deep

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is my first time publishing a fic, so give me a little pat on the head even if you don't like it. please.
> 
> the original character in this work uses both he and they pronouns! although if it's confusing i might change it one set, but as a he/they i would like more he/they work on AO3! so i made my own! this first chapter is just an introduction really, and hopefully if i get a little interaction it might motivate me to write a little more. also, i'm not the biggest marvel fan! so i'm just kinda giving the canon a spin in my pottery wheel to make it my own. if people are out of character, i'm sorry! i'm writing for fun, so until marvel hires me i'm not super worried about it, but obviously i'm open to feedback :-)
> 
> it's rated teen because it's a little tough, i probably swear a bit but other than that it's pretty clean, so please have fun reading!

The tide was high, but the ocean was calm. Soft, friendly, waves lapped at rocks just below the seafront path. It was like a ferocious hunting dog sitting closely to it's master - quiet, content, and uncharacteristically tame. It was night time, except the moon wasn't out. It was unclear if it was hidden behind the dense layer of clouds, or if it was instead showing it's face in someone else's daytime. Without it, there was just the deep dark blue of the ocean and the deep dark blue of the overcast night sky. Natasha sat before this scene, finding respite on a bench which had been partially reclaimed by the nearby wild blackberry bush. She wondered if anyone remembered this bench. It looked incredibly old, the wooden slats had been partially eroded, and if there was any metal plate which dedicated it to a lost loved one, it had been long since removed, destroyed, or stolen. And that didn't even mention how the blackberry bush hung over the far end of the bench, dropping leaves, twigs, and the occasional smashed berry. A mixture of generally unpleasant things to sit on. So there she was, sat on the other end up against the metal arm of the bench, looking out towards the ocean and listening to the rhythmic sound. It was a moment of meditation for her, although she'd never admit that she found meditation helpful.

Natasha and her enjoyment of the seaside bench's atmosphere was, however, interrupted as a finger tapped her on the shoulder two times. It was like it sent a pulse swiftly through her body, her brain snapping into focus as she realised she hadn't noticed anyone approach. She scolded herself mentally, before turning to face whoever had approached her.

"Can i 'elp yous?" she asked, her regional accent thick and well-rehearsed. She tried to look at who had approached her, but they didn't face the light, and the hood of their dark green raincoat made them hard to distinguish. She did, however, notice a short exhale and a slight smile on the figure, as a voice she recognised retorted.

"Nice accent, it adds to your disguise." they teased and slid over the back of the bench to sit in between her and a low drooping branch of the blackberry bush. Natasha was in slight shock as she pieced together the voice, mannerisms and now the face of the person sat next to her. it definitely wasn't who she was expecting.

"Pockets." she stated, dropping her accent. In fact, she had also dropped most enunciation when speaking, her sentence sounding more like a direct observation of who sat next to her.

"Natasha." they replied, their face having turned to finally look at Natasha after she called their name, a playful smile on their face. She smiled in return, she couldn't help it.

Natasha's relation to pockets was certainly complicated. Natasha initially started hearing about them through her " _work_ ", with " _pockets_ " being the codename of a very competent thief who was frequently hired by her boss to procure documents and other valuable information. For the first couple of months, Pockets was just a name on a page to her. The documents Pockets sent to their HQ arrived through a fax machine. She didn't know why this was, because she was certain she could manage to intercept these messages using her car radio and a tin can if she tried hard enough. But never the less she frequently saw the name _Pockets_ scrawled in handwriting at the bottom of the documents she was presented in briefings. Sometimes accompanied by a smiley face, three hearts, or a crudely drawn flower. This made Pockets stick out in her mind before she met them.

When she found out they went by _Pockets_ in real life, this was a minor red flag for her. Sure, she had met people who went by their codenames at all times before, but normally they were last names, or cities. Someone using the name _Pockets_ around the clock, however, was unusual to her. Despite her unmentioned judgement, on that mission in some rainy welsh town, Pockets had proved themself more than capable when it came of most aspects of infiltration. They could quickly switch to treading almost silently, had a keen eye for where important people kept things they wanted the general populous to keep their nose out of, and always had the exit route memorised. but more importantly than any of that, Natasha found Pockets to be someone she got along with. Sure they were a bit annoying at times, but they cut through her tough exterior like no other. So they had progressed from co-workers to friends, hence why they were still in communication now that both of them had left that specific field of work. Natasha had joined shield and became an avenger, and Pockets had cut most direct loyalties and seemed to work for themself alone now.

"I'm surprised to see you here." Natasha pointed out, turning her body to face Pockets

"I wouldn't have reached out to you when you were on a job like this unless I really needed it." they replied, looking a little sheepish. A note had turned up in her groceries this week saying rendezvous at the seaside, on paper watermarked by the company _Home Protection ltd_ , which Natasha recognised as a shell company for shield. Hence why she came.

"The note was clever. I felt pretty sure it wasn't someone who wanted me dead." she replied, turning back to face the ocean. "What drew you out of hiding?" she asked.

Pockets shifted in their seat slightly. Natasha could tell they were going to ask a favour, and they hated asking for things.

"I need a way into Stark tower, by the end of next month." they said eventually, looking at her profile in an attempt to read her reaction.

Natasha kept her poker face, eyes locked on the horizon.

"I finish this job next week, then you're in luck old friend," she answered, pausing to write something out on a notebook she took out from her coat pocket.

"Tony's throwing a party the week after. At Stark towers. You can be my plus one, on some conditions." She finished, turning to face Pockets. They nodded and she continued.

"You don't have to say what you're doing, but you have to promise it won't negatively affect my workplace. I don't mind if you make Tony a little sad, but if you're stealing high-value documents for the enemy side, I'll rat you out fast." Natasha said, her serious side showing now.

"You know I'd never mess with you or your dream team, Nat. I still fear you enough to know not to double-cross you." Pockets replied, his sincere side showing.

"Good." She stated, letting it hang in the air for a moment. She wasn't exactly sure what Pockets was up to, but she was willing to help out an old friend. She figured inviting them to the party was ideal, they could slip away and do whatever they had to but she could still keep a watchful eye over everything. Deep down she knew that Pockets was neutrally aligned, but nobody truly had her trust in recent years.

"Secondly, you have to buy a new outfit for the party." Natasha added, exiting her thoughts and turning to face Pockets. They looked hurt for a moment, before returning to a calm diplomatic appearance.

"Is there a dress code? A theme perhaps? What's it even for anyway, doesn't he have important work to do as an avenger?" Pockets asked quizzically.

"It's to celebrate how we've been in general peace for a whole year." Natasha replied, giving Pockets a slight look at the idea of 'general peace'. It meant no alien invasion for a year. "The dress code is expensive, though I think you should wear purple. You'll match me that way."

She paused, thinking for a few moments.

"But I think Tony's doing it because he's lonely." She added at the end, her voice softer and lacking her normal commanding force. The two of them let that statement hang in the air, unsure what to do about it. The wind whistled along the coast and through the blackberry bush, creating a soft rumble as they sat in thought.

"Call me on this number, meet me in New York." Natasha instructed, breaking the silence. She handed him a piece of paper she had ripped out of her notebook, an eleven digit phone number written precisely on the blue lines of the paper. Pockets twisted it in their hand, and it faded into nothing. Natasha had almost forgotten about their ability and scoffed in response.

"How could I forget your _pockets_ " She muttered, gesturing to the absence of the note. "Stark Towers doesn't have a general scanner for nonhumans, so unless Tony's taking your blood you should be fine on that front."

Natasha had almost forgotten why they had gone off-grid, it was because of their little party trick. Pockets was very guarded about who he showed his ultimate tool to, his ability to store a range of objects in an 'interdimensional sub-space' which he could reach into with his right hand at any time. Natasha wasn't really sure what happened in Pockets' early, early, days, but she always had the inkling that someone tried to experiment or study on them due to their power. It wasn't mutant, wasn't inhuman, and wasn't due to gamma rays or Asgardian heritage. It was just something they could do. They had only told Natasha after, in a pinch, they had fished out a lit stick of dynamite and created their own exit. But since that mission, she had guarded their secret, like she swore she would so long ago.

Pockets looked at his hand briefly, the note having been replaced with nothing but air. "That's good, thanks for everything." They said seriously, looking back at Natasha.

"You know my offer to join my team still stands. You could work solo and figure out what the root of the power is." Natasha said. She knew she could never convince them, not when they had all their playing cards still. But she wanted to make sure that Pockets still viewed her as someone they could come to, even in their hour of need.

Pockets shook their head wordlessly, as they always did.

Natasha sighed, jumping up from the bench with unusual vigour.

"Okie Dokie!" She said, her regional English accent back as she effortlessly switched into character. "If ye wanna come talk to me before'and me names Mollie, and I work at the pub by the roundabout. If not I'll see yous next week, alright?" She said, cracking a smile out of Pockets at her performance.

He laughed, standing up from the bench also.

"I'll see yous next week, Mol." They said, trying their best to mimic her accent. Natasha rested her hand on Pockets shoulder for a moment before pushing them away from her.

"Wear purple!" She reminded as she slipped down the seaside path back towards the little English town she was stationed at, doing who knows what kind of mission. Pockets turned the other way, heading back to his car they had parked about 15 minutes away.

**Author's Note:**

> wowie! thanks for reading. kudos and comments obviously appreciated! in the next chapter the ball gets rolling a little more, so hopefully you'll come back to my little fic, like visiting a little antique store to see the new spoons i found on the ground outside. :-)


End file.
